Closed Shutters
by apbarium
Summary: "Take off your sunglasses, Harry." Ginny said softly. "I want to see your eyes."
1. Chapter 1

**STORY INFORMATION**: After Harry Potter survived the killing curse, Sirius Black took him to get medical attention and raised him to be an accomplished wizard, animagus, duelist, and (semi- trained) elemental, all by the age of fifteen. He lost his vision on his eleventh birthday during a magical power surge, the same day his elemental powers emerged. Now, Sirius feels that Harry should go to Hogwarts and be around kids his own age. Now Harry has to go Hogwarts pretending to be dumb, and under a false name. He's determined to get through the year with his secrets intact. But with his elemental powers acting up, keeping secrets will be harder than he ever imagined.

Closed Shutters

Harry Potter never asked to be blind. He never asked for his parents to be murdered by a psychotic, racist wizard. And he never, ever asked to go to Hogwarts.

Harry tapped his thin, white cane against the train compartment floor. He didn't _really _need the cane, usually. He only needed it when he was in an area that was especially enriched with magic. The Hogwarts train, for example, had had so many magical beings in it, that the thing was chock full of magical energy. His magical sight would be overwhelmed, and he would pass out. It'd happened to him a few times in the past, and it was never fun.

Harry sighed. He hated being blind.

A loud whistle blew, and the train began to move. He heard the last minute good-byes from students, and the frantic warnings from parents.

"_Hurry, dear, or you'll miss the train!"_

"_Francis, love, don't forget to write every day! Mummy will miss you!_ "

"_Fred, George, if I get one more letter about a toilet seat-!"_

Harry shrugged to himself. These Hogwarts people were an odd bunch.

Hours passed. Harry fiddled with his sunglasses. The ride had to be almost over by now.

Some more hours passed. Harry tapped his cane to the tune of an old song he had heard on the muggle radio. _Tap tap tap-tap tap tap-tap tap tap tap._ Alright, now the ride _had_ to be almost over.

No such luck.

Much, _much _later, Harry heard voices down the corridor.

"Malfoy's such a git!" stormed a loud male voice. "He's such a bloody prat! He's such a-"The voice lowered, and was followed by the sound of a slap.

"Ronald!" whisper- yelled a female voice.

"What? You know it's true! They're so inbred I'm surprised…"

The voice got louder as they approached what they thought was an empty compartment.

"I swear, there's no way Narcissa Malfoy would-Oh." The boy with the loud voice entered the compartment and stopped short when he saw the raven haired boy already sitting there. "Hello. Who are you?"

Harry turned his head in the newcomers' direction. He paused for a moment, and then replied.

"Seth. Seth Rampart."

"Well, hello, Seth Rampart." A different female voice said brightly. "Mind if we sit with you?"

"Be my guest." Harry shrugged.

As far as he could tell, three people were in the compartment with him. A boy with a loud voice, (probably tall,) a girl most likely in the same years as him, and another girl. The second girl had a similar tone of voice as the boy. Brother and sister? He couldn't tell.

The three friends talked among themselves. He was able to find out about how Severus Snape was incredibly biased against Gryffindors, (not very surprising, considering what he had heard from Sirius,) and their speculation on who the new defense professor would be this year. Apparently, every DADA professor had been terrible, and they had never learned anything at all.

"But, of course, whoever it is, you know they'll love the "Golden Girl." Ron teased.

"Shut up." Harry could practically hear the second girl's scowl. Harry's curiosity got the better of him.

"Golden Girl?" He asked.

"Obviously. The girl sitting in front of you is _Ginny Weasley." _The boy said it slowly, as if he were stupid._ "_What are, blind?"

"Er, yeah." Harry leaned back and crossed his arms. He heard two slaps this time.

"Oi!"

"I'm sorry about my inconsiderate prat of a friend." Said the first girl. "I'm Hermione Granger, and the idiot is Ron Weasley. And you already know that the other girl with us here is Ginny Weasley."

'_Ah,' _he thought, '_definitely brother and sister.'_

"Now, if you don't mind me asking," Harry began. "Why is Ginny called the 'Golden Girl?'"

"Well, ever since Professor Dumbledore discovered that Ginny's an elemental, people have been claiming she gets special treatment." Hermione said.

"Which is a complete lie." Ginny asserted. "If anything, people are treating me worse, especially Snape and the Slytherins."

"Oh. Okay." Harry said lamely. He was too distracted to pay attention to Ginny. If Ginny was an elemental, it would have been made public the instant the _Daily Prophet_ got wind of the news. Sirius must've known.

Harry was too enraged to think clearly. How could Sirius have kept this from him? They may have been able to help each other gain control of their abilities. It was vitally important that Harry gain control of his elemental powers. They reacted to his emotions, and when he lost control, when he was too mad to focus, anything could happen. The last time he got mad at Sirius, he accidently caused an earthquake in China. Oops.

"Excuse me." Harry rushed as fast as he could out the door. The windows were already beginning to shake, and he couldn't afford to lose control in there. He wasn't going to reveal any of his secrets on the first day. He remembered Sirius' warning.

"_Secrets are never secrets at Hogwarts, Harry. She has an inexplicable way of weaseling them out, usually in a way you'd never expect. Be careful, pup." _

Sirius was right. He also had some explaining to do.

'_There's something funny about that bloke.' _Ginny knew it. She felt like she knew him from somewhere. He was familiar, as if she had known him when she was small, and then forgotten him. And then, right before he left, the windows rattled unnaturally. If Ginny didn't know better, she would've sworn it was her elemental powers acting up. But no, she would've felt it had it been her.

Hermione and Ron were arguing in the background, but Ginny tuned them out.

There was something different about Seth, something that made him special, and Ginny was going to find out what it was.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I'm a first-time writer, so I'd really appreciate some feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Harry Potter**_** and all its related materials are not mine and I make no money from them.**

Iscubatoo: Thank you for my first review!

DukeBrymin: I've got a pretty good idea of where this is going, and I'll try to update as much as possible.

Felineyx: Same thing I told the guy above you.

Princess Patterson: Ginny is going to be the one to connect with Harry first, and I also think she's going to find out about the elemental stuff first.

A/Note: I'm sorry if the breaks seemed unclear last chapter. I forgot to put them in! Also, the elemntalists are going to be like the benders in _**The Last Airbender**_. (I don't own that either.)

* * *

Closed Shutters

Harry was majorly freaking out. His powers were going haywire, and they needed a release. All the wood on there was dead, and the rest was synthetic. Air wasn't an option, because even the most dimwitted child would notice a tornado _inside a train._ He had to find some base element on that wretched train to get rid of the buildup.

Then, it hit him. The loo.

Perfect.

Harry could already feel the air swirling around him, and could hear the crackle of lighting in the air, fighting to break free.

He had mapped out the train in advance, with Sirius' help. Apparently, that had been a good idea. He now knew that the loo was at the end of the corridor, about 15 meters away.

According to his calculations, he had maybe 20 seconds before something went boom. He started walking.

15 seconds left.

He walked a little faster, air now visibly swirling around him

9 seconds left.

The compartment doors Harry passed began to shake uncontrollably. He could hear the objects lining the ceiling trembling, some falling to the ground, or getting caught in the cyclone that surrounded him. The air under his unwilling control was spreading out. He had less time than he'd hoped. It was time for drastic measures.

Harry let his magic flow through his body. He let it pool around his eyes. Then, he projected it out in front of himself.

He saw the vague outlines of shapes. He couldn't afford to put too much power into his magical sight, or he might pass out, but he had to know if anything was going to hit him in the head.

Harry finally reached the small compartment. He slammed the door, dropped his cane, and turned on the tap. As the water flowed out, he elongated his hands, and rotated his wrists. The water flowed in a spiral around his body, never touching the floor.

Then, he gathered the water into a ball in his hands, turned towards the left wall, and _pushed._ He held the water flat against the wall, then concentrated. Two seconds later, he relaxed, and put his hand on the wall. Ice.

* * *

Harry carefully made his way onto the platform. He was soon caught up in the stream of students. They all seemed to be talking about a mysterious wind that swept through the train, knocking things over and breaking compartment doors. Harry smiled to himself, and then frowned. He had to be more careful.

"Seth!"

Ginny cut through the mass of people, with Ron and Hermione following close behind.

"There you are! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Hermione cried.

"C'mon, we'll show you where the carriages are." Ginny took his hand and pulled him to a dirt path. Tentatively, he tried reaching out with his magic again. He looked up, and saw a large, white-gold blob in the distance. Hogwarts.

"We're going to be riding up to the castle in carriages." Hermione said. Harry only now realized that the girl had been talking the entire time.

They approached the carriages. Then, Harry bumped into something that wasn't there. He was knocked to the ground.

"Ouch!"

"What is it? Did you trip?" Ginny asked.

Harry got up and brushed himself off. "No. I bumped into something."

Those who could see looked around. There were no other students by their carriage, and nothing to bump into around the path.

"That's impossible. There's nothing to bump into!" Ron said.

Harry shot a glare in Ron's direction. He opened his "sight" again, and looked in the direction where he fell.

The thing was glowing, not as much as Hogwarts, but enough for him to believe that it was a magical creature. It had the outline of a horse, maybe a little smaller, and was hitched to the carriage.

Harry walked over to the horse thing and put his palm flat against its back. He put his other hand next to the first one, and moved them all around the strange animal, like a mime. Then, he patted its neck and turned to face the others.

"That," he said, "is what I bumped into."

* * *

They met a girl in the carriage. She had dirty blond hair, permanently raised eyebrows, and was reading a little newspaper upside down.

"Oh, hello Luna." Ginny said.

"Hello Ginny." Luna then turned towards Harry.

"There are some places at Hogwarts where you can _see_, you know. It's almost like _magic." _Luna giggled, and went back to her magazine, and twirling her radish-like earrings.

There was an awkward silence. Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances. Ron was finishing the chocolate frog he'd bought on the train. Harry, however, looked at Luna and allowed his magic to pool around his eyes again.

'_Now _that's_ not something you see every day.' _Luna's form had a slightly luminescent quality. The luminescence was tinged with darkness, though. She seemed to be a trauma induced seer. Interesting.

He looked at Ginny. He saw the same light sheen that he always saw on himself. '_Yup, definitely an elemental.'_

Ginny broke the quiet.

"Say, what year are you in?"

"Fifth."

"Oh, so you're in the same year as Ron and Hermione. Luna and I are a year behind. "Ginny said. "They're in Gryffindor, and so am I. Luna's in Ravenclaw."

Harry decided he might play up the "ignorant exchange student," and find out as much about Ginny, Dumbledore, and the Order of the Phoenix as possible.

"Gryffindor? Ravenclaw?"

"Two of the four school houses. I take it you haven't been sorted yet." Hermione said promptly. "There's Gryffindor, which prides itself on bravery and chivalry. There's Ravenclaw, which prides itself on knowledge and learning. There's Hufflepuff, which prides itself on loyalty and hard work. Then… well, then there's Slytherin. They pride themselves on cleverness and cunning. "

"Future Death Eaters in training, you mean." Ron muttered. "Slimy gits, the lot of 'em."

Hermione cleared her throat and glanced at Ron. Ginny rolled her eyes, but agreed.

"It's true, Seth. The Slytherines have been picking on us Gryffindors since forever," Ginny said sadly, "but we still have classes with them. You'd think that after _centuries _of rivalry, Dumbledore would finally wise up and give us lessons with the Hufflepuffs or something."

"Dumbledore's the headmaster, right?" Harry asked. If he was lucky, one of them (Hermione, maybe. She seemed to love imparting knowledge.) would let something slip about the Order.

"Yeah." Ron said. "Order of Merlin and all that as well. Then, of course, he runs the Order."

"Order?"_ 'There we go.'_

"Yup, the Order of the Phoenix. They're a secret group who fought against You-Know-Who the last time. Now they're protecting some weapon."

'_Now _that _is interesting.'_

Ron, apparently, in his eagerness to please the boy he had previously offended, didn't notice the frantic looks the girls were throwing his way.

"So you believe Voldemort's back?"

"Yeah. My parents have always been real close to Dumbledore. They-"

"So, anyways," Ginny interrupted "before Ron says anything _else_ that's supposed to be confidential, we're here."

The carriage pulled up in front of the entrance, and everybody got out.

Ron tapped Harry on the shoulder and said "Er…Rampart? Seth?"

Harry turned towards him "Yeah?"

"I'm, er, sorry for being such an insensitive prat. Mates?"

"Mates." Harry thought for a moment before giving a slightly scary smile.

"But do it again and I'll kick your arse."

And looking at "Seth's" face, Ron had no doubt that he could.

* * *

"Ginny, my Hogwarts letter said that after all the first years are sorted, I'm supposed to go up to the front and try on a hat. Does that happen to make sense to you?" Harry already knew all about the Sorting Hat, of course, (Sirius had told him _everything_ about Hogwarts,) but he really wanted to see just what kind of person this other elemental was.

"Oh, I can't believe nobody told you before! You're sorted into a house by the Sorting Hat. It's this really old, animated hat that looks into your head and decides where you should go." Ginny explained. She had taken his hand again and was guiding him through the halls of Hogwarts and into the Great Hall.

'_It can see into my head?'_ Harry thought worriedly. _'Looks like another thing Padfoot conveniently forgot to mention.'_

There was some stuff in his mind that he _really_ didn't want anybody knowing, especially a certain manipulative headmaster.

"Well, since you haven't been Sorted yet, you probably shouldn't sit at the Gryffindor table." Ginny frowned for a second, and then smiled. "I have to go sit down, but how well can you remember directions?"

* * *

After the strange, mind reading hat sung about the Founders and how all the houses should learn to work together, and **ZELLER, ROSE **was finally Sorted into Hufflepuff, Dumbledore stood to make an announcement.

"We have a new student joining Hogwarts this year." He began. "His name is Seth Rampart, and he is blind. However, he has extensive magical training, and can by all means function as a regular student. I trust that whatever House he is in, everyone will treat him with respect and give him any assistance he requires."

Right on cue, a tall figure came striding down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. He had black hair and polarized sunglasses. He didn't carry a cane.

While the students glared and drooled over him, Harry was counting.

'_Okay, five more steps_, _then step up three times, and then turn to the left…'_

True to form, McGonagall called out, "Rampart, Seth."

Harry walked over to the stool ('_eight more steps_') and sat down. McGonagall dropped the infamous hat over Harry's eyes.

A snide voice spoke in Harry's head.

"_Seth Rampart, eh, Potter? Let's see what's inside your head." _

The hat was silent for a few moments, and then spoke again.

"_A Parselmouth, hmm? Not exactly a 'light' ability. But wait! An animagus, and an elemental to boot? You should be with the other one. Better be…_**GRYFFINDOR!**"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Harry Potter**_** and all its related materials are not mine and I make no money from them.**

Closed Shutters

"Now," Dumbledore said, "we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor with us this year." The feast was over, and it was time for announcements.

"Presenting, Professor Remus J. Lupin!"

'_No way. Not possible. Moony? The man who knows the second most about my father in the entire world? The man who was one of Padfoot's best friend? The man who betrayed him?_

The man in question stood and waved weakly to the students. He looked tired, and his robes were shabby. Most of the students ignored him, instead focusing on the variety of puddings and other sweets that had just appeared in front of them.

Harry was deep in thought. This man would be tough to trick. He knew every one of James Potter's mannerism, many of which Harry had picked up (or so he was told by Sirius). Harry also knew he looked a damn lot like a teenaged James Potter as well, even more so with his eyes obscured. Harry frowned to himself. There was no _way_ his sunglasses were coming off.

Ever.

Sighing, Harry put his head in his hands. This year would be bloody awful.

"Right now, we're in the Gryffindor common room. The portrait guarding the door won't let you in without the password, and it changes every so often, so make sure you're up to date." Ginny explained.

It was almost midnight, and everybody else had gone to bed. Ginny Weasley was telling Harry Potter (known to her as "Seth Rampart,") all about the student life at Hogwarts on his first night of being a Gryffindor. She'd seemed to take it upon herself to be Harry's personal tour guide.

"Professor McGonagall, the woman who called your name for the Sorting, is the head of Gryffindor House. She also teaches Transfiguration, and is the Deputy Headmistress. She's strict, but fair, and a pretty good teacher.

"Professor Sprout teaches Herbology, and is the head of Hufflepuff. She's cheery, and pretty easy to get along with.

"Professor Flitwick teaches Charms, and he's the head Ravenclaw. He's really short, only about a meter tall. He needs to stand on books to see over his own desk!" Harry could feel Ginny's smile.

"But don't let his size fool you. He's a master duelist. Won a few championships some years back, I think. Anyways, he's alright."

"Then there's the potions master. Severus Snape. He's the head of Slytherin, and completely biased. He lashes out at everybody but his own house, and hits Gryffindor the worst. Be careful." She thought for a minute. "Though I'm not sure how he'll treat you, as you're…" she trailed off.

"Anything else about the houses I should know?" Harry interjected.

"Well, the house colors for Gryffindor are gold and red. Slytherin's are silver and green, Hufflepuff's are yellow and black, and Ravenclaw's are blue and bronze. I'm not sure if that means anything to you."

"Yeah, it does." Harry said softly, his face turned away. "I didn't lose my vision until I was eleven."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence.

"I can still remember what colors are supposed to look like, and all. I just can't-" Harry broke off. He had no idea why he was confessing his life story to a near stranger, but for some reason, it felt pretty good. He'd only shared that tidbit with Sirius before, and that hardly counted. Sirius was… well…_Sirius._ He may have matured some since Harry was born, and since he had become Harry's main (if illegal) caretaker, but he was still Sirius Black, after all.

Ginny nodded.

They sat together in silence for a time. Finally, Ginny stood up. She yawned, and the flame flared up and roared behind her.

Ginny grinned sheepishly.

"You heard that, I suppose?"

Harry nodded.

"Sorry about that. It's some odd quirk I get when I "lose control." She said wryly. "Really, being an elemental isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Mostly it's ruddy embarrassing."

Ginny glanced down at her watch.

"It's late. I should probably get to bed. Classes tomorrow and all that."

"Yeah. Me too."

They both headed off to their respective dormitories. Harry, following Ginny's previous instructions, went up the staircase on the left, and Ginny went up the one on the right.

Ginny plopped down on her bed. It was time to figure out the enigma that was Seth Rampart.

She knew that while he was blind, he hadn't lost his sight until he was eleven. _'Magical growth spurt age.'_ She noted. Eleven years old is when the Unspeakables who study such things judge a child's magic stable enough to begin their education. It's also about the time when most children get their first magical growth spurt (receiving their second and final one upon turning seventeen, thus the origin of the Trace.)

He was very good at following directions down to the letter. He had a temper, and a bit of sarcastic humor, though he was sort of quiet, as if he wasn't used to talking to other people. Another strange thing was that the elemental thing didn't faze him at all. She wasn't _that_ famous, but most people she met were pretty excited to meet Britain's only known elemental. She got odd stares all the time, and whenever she lost control or exercised her powers around anybody but her family, people started to edge away. Not Seth.

And those were only the facts.

Ginny could feel some kind of connection with Seth. The time they had spent with each other had felt so natural, so comfortable, as if she had known him all her life. She knew that she sounded like one of those stupid lovesick teenage girls she had always despised, but it was the truth. And the sunglasses didn't disguise the fact that he was pretty darn cute, as well.

'_Just who is Seth Rampart?_

Harry turned on his magical sight again. He knew it was going to be bright, but he didn't expect the near _blinding_ light. It was times like this that made him incredibly thankful for the invention of sunglasses.

Just barely making out the sign for the fifth year room, he stumbled towards the only unoccupied bed, nimbly avoiding his housemates' belongings.

It was time for the moment of truth. He was going to call Sirius.

After whipping out his wand and casting a quick _Muffliato_ on the other occupants of the room (now incredibly grateful to Sirius, as much as he wanted to hate the man,) he pulled out one of the old two-way mirrors that Sirius and his father had used in their youth, and spoke clearly into it.

"Sirius Black."

Though Harry couldn't see it, a man's face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey kid! How's Hogwarts? How're the professors? Is Snivillus-"

"Save it, Sirius." Harry cut in. Sirius was quiet.

"I got on the Hogwarts Express this morning," Harry said faux-pleasantly, "and I met a girl. This girl happened to be named _Ginny Weasley."_

Sirius paled.

"Errr…"

"No. I'm not done." Harry said sharply. "I talked to this girl. And, wouldn't you know it, _she's_ an elemental _too_!"

"So, Sirius. Why did you not feel the need to tell me about the one person like me? Somebody that could possibly understand?" Harry was on a rampage. "The only other elemental in Britain, and you just conveniently forget to _tell_ me? " Harry slumped.

"I mean, she doesn't have as much control as I do. I could've helped her control her powers. Or, hell, she could have helped _me_ control _my_ powers. I've read that being around other elementals would be good for my development. Shared powers and bonding and…"

Harry shook his head. "Just why. Why'd you do it?" This was the angriest he could ever remember being at Padfoot (well, there _was_ this one time where Padfoot had tricked him into believing his _Nimbus 2000_ was taken out with the muggle trash, and he spent the entire day and half the night trying to get it back, but this was a _very_ close second).

Sirius sighed.

"I'm sorry, Prongslet. The point was to keep you safe, not to upset you."

"Keep me safe?"

"From Dumbledore." Sirius elaborated. "You remember your eleventh birthday, right?" He said darkly.

Harry snorted. It was hard to forget the worst day of your life.

"Well, when you went into spasms, I panicked. I went to get Remus, who in turn was supposed to get Dumbledore."

Harry nodded impatiently. He knew all this already.

"And he did get Dumbledore. Except he still thought _I _was your parent's secret keeper, and therefore, the traitor. He told Dumbledore that I still had you as my "captive" and that I had done something to injure you. He brought in what was left of the Order, and they all ended up attacking me and wouldn't listen. Then, when I tried pleading with Dumbledore, when I tried explaining to him that _no, it wasn't me,_ that it was Pettigrew, do you know what he did? When I tried telling him that you desperately needed medical attention?" Sirius laughed bitterly.

"He said, _'I'm sorry Mr. Black, but you have made your choice.' _I had no choice but to fight the entire Order of the Phoenix- on my own."

Harry was morbidly fascinated. He'd never heard that night described in such detail before. Sirius had always been reluctant to talk about it, and it definitely wasn't one of Harry's favorite memories.

Sirius continued.

"Meanwhile, you were having some sort of fit. I had hidden you in Grimmauld Place, just 'cause of the Fiddelis Charm."

Harry nodded. He vaguely remembered the dank place. They hadn't stayed there for very long, and he couldn't seem to recall why.

"Well, while I was fighting, you were having some kind of magical build up. A severe form of a magical growth spurt, I think. Anyways, the pressure on your core was so extensive, that you just, er… blew up, I guess. The explosion knocked out your sight, and completely destroyed the house, but it seemed to be the catalyst for your elemental powers."

Sirius paused for a minute.

"But the point, Pup, is that the magical outburst _could_ have been contained. You shouldn't have had to lose your vision at all."

"How do you know?"

"Ginny Weasley."

"Huh?"

"Well, when Ginny had her magical growth spurt, the same thing that happened to you happened to her."

Harry winced in sympathy. He didn't remember much from his eleventh birthday, but he did remember that it hurt- a lot.

"Ginny's parents went to get Dumbledore as well. He was able to help her siphon off large amounts of the excess magic, so there was only a minor explosion. Ginny Weasley remained perfectly healthy after the incident."

"Oh. Damn."

Harry took a few minutes to process all the information. He could've kept his sight? Sirius fought against the entire Order, just for him? It was all too much.

"Oh, that reminds me. Did you know that the Order is protecting some secret weapon from Voldemort?"

Sirius didn't flinch at the name.

"Sounds like the Prophecy," he muttered, "but that would mean… shit."

Harry raised an eyebrow, but didn't press. He would weasel it out of Padfoot later.

"Oh, also, Remus Lupin is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year."

Sirius swore violently.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I would love some feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

**Closed Shutters**

"Okay… it looks like today, we have… DADA and Potions." Hermione read off the schedule. Harry yawned and took another bite of French toast. He could hear Ron on the other side of him scarfing down his breakfast with gusto. Ginny picked at her food, and gave off an air of revulsion and general glumness.

'_Must be Ron's eating. Though after fourteen years of living with him, you'd think she'd be used to it.'_

"Merlin, Ronald! Could you eat any faster or any more disgustingly?" Ron huffed and muttered about sisters, and "times of the month." That earned him a nice slap on the head. Afterwards, he wisely shut his mouth.

Soon, breakfast was over, and they got up to go to their first lesson. After Ginny stomped off to her Herbology lesson, Hermione gave Harry her own run down of the Hogwarts professors. He didn't pay too much attention, instead focusing on the cool morning breeze. He could feel the dense air, and knew that it would rain soon, probably this afternoon. After all, what good was being an elemental if you couldn't work as a glorified weather forecaster?

He wondered if the incoming rain was the reason for Ginny's foul mood. During the first few months after his elemental powers were activated, whenever there was any nasty weather in the area, Harry would inexplicably become moody and aggressive. Sirius was really worried at first, and almost took him to a mind healer.

After hours of tedious research, they found that it was only the magnified crabbiness that most people always associate with gloomy weather. Elementals, being more in tune with nature, naturally pick up the negative emotions from the weather on a much stronger level than others. Luckily, the influence can be negated by practicing simple Occlumency exercises, something that Sirius had been only too eager to teach Harry. He had claimed it was like having a constant woman in the house, something that greatly offended Harry.

But that brought back up the subject of Ginny Weasley. The elemental that didn't lose her sight. Did he hate her? No, he couldn't. It wasn't her fault that Dumbledore helped her, but not himself. He might make a few…er, _unfortunate _things happen to her, just to make Sirius proud, of couse, but he couldn't blame her for that. Especially after she'd treated him like a human being, and not like he was made of glass. That was more than most did.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, he had no problem blaming. Remus Lupin as well.

"Seth? _Seth?"_ Hermione's voice snapped him back to the present.

"Wha—er, yes?"

"We're at the DADA room now. We're already almost late, and I don't want to make a bad impression of Professor Lupin."

'_Professor Lupin. Right. Fan-bloody-tastic.'_

* * *

Hermione gently led him to his seat, occasionally whispering "step up," or "step over." Harry, meanwhile, was memorizing exactly how many steps there were to get to his seat and which turns to take. He didn't _enjoy_ being led around like an invalid.

"Alright, class," A man's voice said. "Settle down." Harry could only assume this was the voice of Remus Lupin.

"At the end of this year, you will be taking the Ordinary Wizarding Levels, better known as the O. W.L. s. My main job, then, will be to help you study for the Defense Against the Dark Arts O. W. L. as best I can."

Lupin's voice was actually sort of pleasant, albeit a bit tired. Through Sirius, he already knew about the lycanthropy, but didn't hold that against the man. No, his animosity ran deeper.

"We will be reviewing most of what you've learned since first year, paying particular attention to material that will be heavily examined on the test. This includes dark creatures, Unforgivables, and other dark curses.

"My name, as you probably all know, is Professor Lupin. Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

He wrote this down on the board. While other students scrambled to find quills and parchment, Harry just sat back in his chair and listened. Professor Lupin seemed like a pretty down to earth teacher. Then again, Sirius had said that Lupin had been a good person before he started to believe everything he was told. So far, he would reserve judgment.

"Okay, everybody. Tomorrow, I want one roll of parchment on the history and importance of the DADA O. W. L. Class dismissed."

Harry jumped. He hadn't been paying attention. Everybody rushed out the door, while Harry packed up his stuff and Hermione patiently waited for him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Rampart? May I speak with you for a moment, please?"

Harry nodded, and Hermione backed out the door.

"I'm just going to wait for you outside."

"Yeah," Harry cleared his throat. "Alright."

There was silence.

"Mr. Rampart," he began. "Everyone on the staff has been informed of your, er, '_special needs,_' and I, for one, would like to make your Hogwarts experience as enjoyable and convenient as possible. Now, I understand that you might have some difficulties using a quill—

'_Brilliant deduction, Sherlock.'_

"—so I'd like to inquire whether you have a proffered method of taking notes? Perhaps something another instructor has recommended?"

"Erm…" Harry stuttered. "Well, I've never taken notes before, really. Never felt the need. I've a pretty good memory. Comes with the territory of being blind, I 'spose." He frowned. "Is there something else you need, Professor? I'm going to be late for Potions."

"No, I'm sorry. Don't let me keep you." The professor stood up. "Please, just keep in mind; if you need extra help with any assignments, don't hesitate to come in after class and ask for help. It _is_ O. W. L. year, after all." He paused. "Do you need some assistance getting to Potions?"

"No thank you, sir. I'll be fine."

With that, Harry stalked out of the room and right past Hermione. She struggled to catch up.

* * *

Okay, guys, I'm super sorry for the long break. I'll spare you the details about a long, painful summer and a new school year. But this author's note is _**SUPER IMPORTANT**_ and I really need people to read this.

First of all, I'd like to thank everybody who took the time to read my little 'ole story and double thanks to anybody who reviewed. Especially those who reviewed multiple times. You know who you are, and even though I'm too lazy to post your names up here, I can't thank you all enough. The reviews are what really spur me into action. When I see a new review in my inbox, and it says something like, "Wow, this is really good, I really like… please update soon!" I just have to work on the story. I swear, if half the people who visited took the time to review, you would get about two chapters a week.

Also, I'm searching for a beta reader. I desperately need somebody to nit/britpick my writing, since 1) I am a human who makes mistakes just like anyone else, and 2) my family hasn't been considered anything close to British since the 18th century. This person would really have to give a mixture of strong praise, criticism, and butt-kicking, just so that I can update sooner. Anybody interested, PM me.

I'm sorry you saw that long scroll bar, and so much of it was just a boring A/N. I love you all for taking the time to read this story, even though it isn't the longest, most interesting, and had practically been clichéd to death. Tootles, and drop me a line! (Preferably more than one :)

Fly on!


	5. Chapter 5

Closed Shutters

"Seth!" Hermione whispered. Then she sighed, exasperated. "Look, Seth, maybe it would be better if you just sat back and let us work."

"Fine." He spit out. As Hermione bent down and began to clean up the spilled bubotuber pus, Harry sunk down into the chair behind him and sulked. Or, at least, he appeared to.

The idea itself was really quite ingenious, Harry reasoned. Even if the method made him seem helpless and uncoordinated, it was necessary. He was supposed to blind and weak, not capable and able to take care of himself.

He and Sirius had cooked this up a few weeks before he had left for Hogwarts. Harry would make himself look weak, disabled, and _not _Lily and James Potters' son. That meant being, 'tastefully clumsy,' as Padfoot put it.

He interpreted this as knocking over and spilling things just enough, and then pretending to be upset about it later. Discretion, though, was the key; if he bumped into something to many times, or knocked over something too dangerous, he might be considered too perilous to have around, and be watched closely. And if somebody watched him long enough, they might start to see a pattern. Specific people might start to see a pattern. And that would be unacceptable.

So Harry pretended to mope, while secretly congratulating himself on a job well done. Granger thought he was a pitiful uncoordinated lump.

"Ms. Granger," an oily voice sneered. "What is the meaning of this?" Snape.

"Er, erm, well, Professor," Hermione stuttered, "Seth knocked over the bub—"

"I don't have time for excuses, girl. Detention, tonight, at eight, and ten points from Gryffindor. " He scowled and stalked away, moving on to criticize some other poor soul's potion.

'_Yep. Definitely Snivellous.'_

Ginny plopped down at the table between Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger.

"Is it Christmas yet?" She groaned, banging her head on the table. Hermione sighed and patted the younger girl's back.

"What has Snape done this time?"

"I was lighting a fire for my cauldron in potions with my powers, instead of with my wand. He says '_Miss Weasley, I realize that you have an insufferable need to prove your superiority to your classmates, but do not presume to do so in my class.' _And then he takes ten points and gives me detention!"

She sits up and leans her elbows on the table. "Not to mention I've been feeling crummy all day, and I don't fucking know why!" Several nearby first year start at the curse.

Harry, who had up until this point been preparing to knock over Ginny's pumpkin juice and frizz up her hair, stopped himself. Could he really do that to such a miserable-sounding girl? She _had_ been pretty nice to him, and was one of the first people he'd ever met besides Sirius to actually take an interest in him, and not just treat him like an invalid. (Or insult him, but that seemed to be her brother's forte.)

"Have something to eat, Ginny," Granger coaxed. ." She picked up a bowl of peas and spooned some onto Ginny's plate. "That should help you feel better."

"N'thanks," Ginny mumbled, "I think I'll just go to bed." She got up and walked slowly Great Hall, before Hermione could give her anymore food.

Harry frowned. Ginny Weasley definitely had issues. Probably more than anybody—even her family knew, from the looks of her brothers. Her aura had the tell-tale twinge of darkness to it. The Weasley girl had been touched by dark magic. '_Well_,' he decided, '_no need to add to her problems.' _He turned his head towards the girl, listening for her slow footsteps, and carefully opened up his sight. The brightness wasn't nearly as bad as the day before. _'Huh. That's convenient.'_

He turned his head in her direction. He couldn't "see" anything else, but he definitely could feel the bad weather syndrome she picked up from the storm. He had noticed it earlier in the week, but he hadn't known it had progressed to such a severe level.

Harry drummed his fingers on the table, still facing her. He visualized a thin, versatile shield forming around the girl—_Ginny_—that would block outside interferences for a short time.

'_She'll be fine for now. But why hasn't Dumbledore done something to help her by now?'_

"Ron!"

"Wha, 'Mione"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Shawwy."

"Never mind, look at Ginny! She's hardly eating, and looks as if she hasn't slept in weeks!"

"And?"

"She's your _sister_."

"Hermione, if something was really wrong, she would've gone to the twins or me about it or something."

"Ronald, when was the last time Ginny came to any of you besides her mum or Bill for help?"

"Er—"

"Exactly. Now get your arse up to the Gryffindor common room and send her to Madam Pomphrey."

"Hermione!"

"Go!"

"Come in, Miss Weasley."

Ginny honestly did not understand how Dumbledore did that.

"Sir, I think there's something going on. Something's going to happen…something's happening." She said shakily.

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "I got that impression myself, Miss Weasley. There is a strange signature in the castle. Tell me, dear girl; we covered magical signatures last year. What say you of the newfound presence?"

"Well," Ginny began carefully. "I can tell that this… signature, thing, wasn't here last year. It feels vaguely male, and sort of, well," Ginny hesitated.

"Yes?"

"Sort of like my own."

(A/N: I have many things to apologize for. I'm sorry for the late update, I'm sorry for the short chapter, and I'm sorry for pissing so many people off! I've been distracted by a little thing called life, lately, and I've not been near a computer for a while. I do promise, though, that A) This is not a Dumbledore/Lupin bashing story, and B) I will NOT abandon it. Just stick with me for a bit, please. And remember, reviews are still my drug!)


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